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2018 Fall Fundo Recap - One Rider’s Experience

November 14, 2018

This year’s Fall Fundo featured 196 riders, 8,322 cumulative miles ridden, 15 homemade pies and at least 4 great costumes. Riders raised $29,600 to help Old Spokes Home continue our work building community and opportunity with bikes!

When looking around at the early arrivals prior to the start of the “Hundo Fundo” ride, the longest of the three 2018 Fall Fundo itineraries, there was a comforting absence of lycra and carbon fiber. Denim, steel-framed touring bikes and an ample supply of donuts and coffee filled the view. At 8am, we left the Intervale Center in a light rain and chilly temperatures, but were warmed by the initial climb. The ride followed a mix of gravel and pavement done mostly at a “conversational pace,” punctuated by a few sharp climbs and some screaming downhills. There always seemed to be a new group of friends to ride with along the way and share the beautiful scenery.

This year’s route featured a mix of the weird and wonderful on our Vermont rural roads. We smelled the hemp harvest near Starksboro and gazed upon long views of frosted mountain tops mixed with bright Fall yellows, reds and oranges. We were gifted some delicious apples and a friendly welcome at Yates Family Orchard in Monkton, as well as myriad pies at each of the four rest stops along the way. One of the most unexpected and beautiful spots along this year’s ride was the historic mill on Lewis Creek Gorge in Starksboro.

We meandered through the towns of Hinesburg, Monkton, Starksboro, Huntington and Williston, past the Catamount Outdoor Center, with a few hot laps on the pump track done for good measure. We ended the ride chugging up Riverside Avenue, past the odor of Koffee Kup donuts and back down the Intervale Hill where Skinny Pancake and Zero Gravity Brewery provided much-appreciated refreshment to the riders from each of the three rides.

Missed this year’s Fundo? Put it on your list for next year so you don’t miss out on an epic little adventure in our beautiful corner of Vermont that supports Old Spokes Home’s work!